University of Surrey experts call for water regulation improvements following visit to African nations
Tuesday 16 June 2009
Polluted drinking water from illicit dealers the only option for many
Dangerously unhygienic conditions stunned a team of scientists and lawyers from the University of Surrey, who have just returned from a trip investigating access to clean water in Kenya and Ethiopia.
The team saw at first hand people forced by lack of official supplies to buy water from wells dug next to latrines, of which up to 41% was found to be contaminated when tested. Official supplies were found to be unavailable in many areas, and where present were also frequently contaminated and meeting just 20% of demand - leaving the vast majority of the market to illicit dealers.
For many, storing water in drums is the only option, but this further increases the risk of harmful bacteria contamination by the time it is used.
Mulugeta Ayalew, a 30-year-old Ethiopian PhD student at the University of Surrey, said: “Lack of clean water brings death and disease to millions in countries like Ethiopia and Kenya. There is no legal framework and that is what is needed. These are areas where planning laws are not complete, and where regulations do exist they are not enforced. Contamination is clearly a serious problem with private, unregulated providers of water - and the way it is often stored in homes exacerbates the problem.”
"We need to open people’s eyes, both in Africa and the world’s wealthier nations, to the scale of the issue, and to make a contribution towards dealing with the situation” added Mr Ayalew, who also holds law degrees from universities in Addis Ababa and Belgium.
Team leader Dr Jonathan Chenoweth said: “You see people pushing trolleys full of jerry cans containing water. These are sold but the quality is not good. They take those jerry cans into homes but the 20 or 25 litres of water can frequently be polluted in dangerous. The independent water sellers are unregulated and there is little to no legal framework to control them.”
Professor Rosalind Malcolm, Professor and Head of Law added: “Clean water to drink is a human right. We want to see the law being used to help people get a vital necessity that does not make them ill.”
In the Kenyan city of Kisumu, the City Council has begun a programme teaching well-owners of the health risks to consumers of dirty water, but local officials accept that private dealers meet an urgent demand.
The 36-page University of Surrey report setting out the findings of the visit says unregulated suppliers should be embraced at this stage into the official system while full public provision is not possible. This would also help to regulate price and ensure fewer instances of impoverished people being forced to pay over the odds.
The project was made possible by a £185,000 grant from the Leverhulme Trust, a British charity which brings together lawyers and scientists in projects to benefit people throughout the world.
Media Enquiries
Peter La, Press Office at the University of Surrey, Tel: +44 (0)1483 689191, or Email mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk
Peter La, Press Office at the University of Surrey, Tel: +44 (0)1483 689191, or Email mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk